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Patients who underwent Mohs surgery for squamous cell carcinoma in situ of the ear were more likely to be men, and older patients are more likely to have larger lesions, according to a retrospective review of 173 cases. Recurrent tumors were bigger than primary tumors and needed more Mohs micrographic surgery layers for clearance.

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Patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma tumors larger than 20 millimeters have a higher mortality rate than SCC patients with smaller tumors, and patients with deep tumors are more likely to experience recurrence and metastasis, a recent meta-analysis revealed. Tumors on the temple, ear or lip were also found to be risk factors for metastasis, as were invasion beyond subcutaneous fat, perineural invasion and a Breslow thickness of more than 2 millimeters.

Hooman Khorasani, chief of Mohs, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital, treated a man's 18-inch long squamous cell carcinoma using a tissue graft made from the bladder of a pig. Khorasani excised the cancer, poured a powder form of the tissue onto the wound, then attached three layers of the graft to the wound, which stimulated the patient's own cells to grow normal tissue.

Sports journalist Tim Layden, who sustained multiple sunburns as a child and teenager, lost a substantial part of his nose to basal cell carcinoma. Plastic surgeon Adam Kolker used tissue from Layden's forehead to rebuild the tissue removed during a six-stage Mohs micrographic procedure. Kolker grew the nasal tissue graft for six weeks in its original location on Layden's forehead before transplanting it to rebuild a functional nose and nasal passage.

Remaining unexcised tissue, tissue drop out from slides and aggressive tumor type were linked to higher risk of tumor recurrence after Mohs micrographic surgery, according to a single-center retrospective study.

Patients with primary squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, larynx or oropharynx and who have a history of periodontitis are more likely to have human papillomavirus-positive tumors, a study published in Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery found. Patients with more alveolar bone loss were more likely to have HPV-positive tumors. "Understanding the natural history of the oral HPV infection and targeting factors associated not only with its acquisition but also with its persistence will lead to more effective strategies for prevention and for treatment," said lead author Mine Tezal.